Originally thought to be coming as part of the Watchmen DVD, the New York Times now reports that the Zack Snyder-directed animated side story “Tales of the Black Freighter” will get released on DVD five days after the Watchmen movie hits theaters on May 6, 2009 (we’re guessing on March 10, 2009 – which is actually four days after the release, depending how you look at it).

The “Black Freighter” DVD will include a documentary-style film called “Under the Hood” that delves into the characters’ backstories. The Watchmen movie is expected to hit DVD itself four months later, followed by an “ultimate” edition in which the two are edited together into one megamovie.

In addition, the studio plans a dozen 22- to 26-minute Webisodes to help make the complex story easier for the uninitiated to digest. Called “The Watchmen Motion Comic,” it will be a panel-by-panel slide show of the graphic novel narrated by an actor. Those together might get a DVD release as well in the future.